The present invention relates to a clamping device for wheel rims, and more particularly, to an arcuately shaped clamp having a plurality of alternatively offset pressure applying surfaces for applying a clamping force to the rim so as not to deform it.
It is conventional to provide wheel clamps which are used to mount a concentric wheel rim to an axle hub assembly instead of the conventional one-piece wheel construction. The concentric wheel rim includes a plurality of inwardly projecting ring-like rim locators which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the rim's interior periphery. This permits a mounted tire to be spaced at various lateral locations with respct to the machine frame which is particularly usful for tractors and the like where it is common to move the tires laterally outwardly or inwardly for tilling in crop rows or when over sized tires are used.
The prior art wheel clamps have produced an undesirable result in that they concentrate the clamping force at small areas on the surface of the rim locator. That is, the pressure is localized at a plurality of equally spaced apart radial positions around the rim locator which tends to cause the rim to deform at those positions. Thus, there has been a need for a wheel clamping device which spreads the clamping force over a greater area so as not to deform the rim and to provide improved uniform load transfer characteristics.
The disadvantages of present wheel clamping devices have resulted in the clamping device of the present invention which effectively extends the clamping force over a greater area to improve load transfer and to prevent rim deformation.